10 DAYS BACK

I wish I had another week to recover because I'd really like to race the Shenandoah Mountain 100. However, neither my bike nor I are ready for another race, even though I feel like we'd both be ready next week - maybe next year.

Let's cover Stage 6: 116km with almost 7,000ft of climbing - this wasn't the day to have mechanical issues but, I did manage to pull it off. First, after rolling through what I call root-drop-holes, my seat tilted skyward. I had to stop and fix it twice. And then on one of many steep rocky descents, I managed to bubble, a six inch bubble right down the middle of the tire, my Specialized Fast Trak tubeless tire. A very, very nice lady who was watching the race allowed me to use a tire off her bike, which was on the car's bike rack - lucky for me.

The day consisted of a 23km climb, a 6km steep and rocky descent, 20km rolling descent, 11km paved road, 11km=2100ft climb, 9km rocky & bushy descent, and then a run-around-town detour. We missed the cutoff time by 15 minutes and had our time changed from 8:15hr to 10:00 plus, an 1 hr plenty... I was not a happy camper and might have killed someone if given a little probable cause. I was definitely insane at the end off that stage.

Karen went and brought Peter and I the biggest burgers and fries she could find. That really was a great decision and my mood changed quickly.

Stage 7: 48km and fast rolling hills: Let's just say we finished in 2:35 and I'm not sure what time they published but, I can read a clock still. I think everyone was ready for it to be over however, I'd preferred some of stage 6's 116km have been put on stage 7. Stage 7 didn't take much out of us and stage 6 just wasted both us.

The End of another TransRockies Challenge 2007... I hope you enjoyed and I apologize for typos.

Pray for our troop to get their butts home safely. Ciao, V.B.

DAY 4 BACK HOME

Now, there are photos for the 2007 event on the www.transrockies.com website.

http://www.transrockies.com/transrockies/media/photos.html

I'm in one of the village shots, standing in bath line, outside a big trainer looking thing - red vest.

Ciao, V.B.

DAY 3 BACK HOME

I'll review Stage 3: this stage is all off-road, which is a good thing and it's 90km long with 4566ft of climbing. Well, they get us wet early in the morning crossing a river system. We climb over the first mtn and into ATV single track through Miller pass - in deep back country - steep. Then we drop downhill for about 3000ft for another steep climb. We end with a 18km single track ride on the cliffs above the Kootenay River. It's the first of four long days and is taken in stride. By now we're getting a little use to the nasty stuff so, nothing really stuck out in my mind on this review.

I have more time so, here is the review of Stage 4: 113km long, with 4000ft of climbing. This stage starts out very fast on FSR (forrest service road) and was very dusty as are most rides on these types of roads. They really haven't had much rain in this area. There were a lot of creek crossings on this stage - probably more than on any other stage. We had a control station (check point) at an "outfitter's house" which was about as photogenic as the Kootenay Mountains get - very beautiful (two homes) views with two more creeks to cross...

There were lots of single track and FSR riding. My butt was really killing me on this stage - raw by now and nothing working. After the race I went by the medical tent and retrieved some of their magical butt butter - it has one of those caines in it.

Stage 5: 93km with 4600ft of climbing. We start with a quick FSR run and then another steep climb where we cross more creeks and debris torrents - from logging. We had a 24km run where a registered trapper allowed us to cross his land. So here comes another description from the race book - "note the dangerous rock garden just over the pass that has been the site of injuries in the previous years". A Velonews reporter rode this stage and there are photos of this garden - it looks a lot steeper in real life - we walked some and road where any dirt presented itself. The article is on Velonews under TransRockies. Peter crashed further down and was not hurt badly but, that was one crazy drop. I think this stage took the most out of me psychologically. I just remember being mentally exhausted at the end. At this point, I hadn't read the book for the next day and thought it was about 1/2 the actual length - imagine my surprise. We usually read the race book late in the day after recovering a bit and then started making preparations accordingly. I'm riding double shorts by now and it really made a difference with regard to comfort.

Take care and please continue praying for our troops, Ciao, V.B.

DAY2 BACK HOME

I'll cover Stage 2 - but, first let me say that in order to do well in a race like this, I've come to the following conclusions: (1) you probably need to live in the region because, (2) train like you want to race because you'll surely race like you trained, (3) if you have any health, physical and/or mechanical issues, you're screwed.

Stage 2 had the follow description for part of the stage and it pretty much described the craziness of the race - I went over the handlebars in this section and so did the guy in front of me - "hazardous downhill section, very primitive trail, perhaps only 50% or less rideable. Use caution."

I cannot begin to describe how horrible this section turned out to be but, I'll say that they only used the word "primitive" once but, there were more sections that fit the description. This section was only 5km and felt like 20km. It was full of downed trees, big,big roots & rocks everywhere, steep drops usually into a creek with a steep climb on the other side and/or a mud pit. This section was much more like an adventure race than a mtn bike race - we just happen to be carrying mtn bikes instead of backpacks.

Altitude uphill 4000 ft., Distance 60km. There was one climb to almost 6000ft in altitude.

Please pray for our troops, we lost 15 great men today, Ciao, V.B.

DAY 1 - BACK HOME

Let me correct something from the last post - the next day of racing was the longest and proved to be a true challenge. I hadn't looked at the course book until after I posted the last message so, to my surprise, the next leg - day 6 presented 116km of challenging mountain trails. Peter had developed chest congestion (from dust) and went on the antibiotics I brought. Needless to say, he wasn't feeling well on the longest day. I had two bike problems on this day, one with my seat falling backwards (hits deep holes) and a bubbled tire that obviously got a little over heated on the down hills (sometime sliding in every directions). We survived the day but missing the cutoff time limit by 15 minutes (8hrs 15mins)and received an 60 minute penalty - like we needed one. We bounced back on the last day which was a very fast 48km to the finish. We finished 9th in the 100+ age group the last day (not overall).

The TransRockies website has the results of every stage. We tried to change our team name to VB MAFIA but, 9 months ago they wanted a name that stuck, WHYNOT, and that's where you'll find our times - 100+ WHYNOT.

Once on the website, go to Transrockies Challenge 2007, where you'll see the day to day coverage. I think I read that there were 25 different country represented. I couldn't believe how international the racers were and how very fit 95% of them were - making me feel somewhat, maybe a little under-trained if you can believe it.

**********************************************************************

Now, I plan on covering each day with a little of the reality of this event, seeing as how the TRC coverage DOES NOT disclose the real picture. I'll do this a little at a time because it'll require some writing.

Stage 1 - 33km - short but, a huge hike-a-bike straight up a mountain. No one trains hiking straight up a mtn with a mtn-bike, unless you live in B.C. Canada and then only "maybe" train it. Both Peter and I got blisters from the hike (requiring nursing all week) and it was all I could do to get to the top. I was sunburned on the face where I failed to put block. I thought we'd be racing in places like where Peter and I have pre-rode the the days before - with trees and stuff. After getting over the top the downhill started with 32 switch-backs. Apparently after talking with many of the injured, this is where most of the big injuries occurred. Peter managed to almost break a leg and a jewel on this side of the mtn. He was icing that leg for the remaining days. We have pictures of his legs coming...

Continue praying for our troops, and I'll pick up here tomorrow, ciao, VB

5 DAYS OF RACING

I've got just a couple of minutes after 5 days of racing. I wanted to tell all about the things I could NOT have imagined.

1 - B.C. Canada is very beautiful and very wild. A woman was killed a couple of days before the start of the race in Panorama by a bear. Peter and I rode the day before the race on Panorama trails and also saw a bear - we turned around immediately.

2- I feel like I'm at the Olympics - the people are truly international and we've met people from all over the world.

3- the people here are extremely friendly and glad to have the bike race and racers around.

4- Peter and I could NOT have done this without Mimi and Karen supporting us. We're pretty much good for nothing after racing.

5- THERE IS NO WAY TO EXPLAIN HOW HARD THIS RACE IS AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE I'M SURE. YOU COULD EASILY GET KILLED IN THIS RACE AND PEOPLE JUST GO ABOUT IT LIKE AN EVERYDAY EVENT. THIS IS TRULY EXTREMELY RACING. IN ALL MY RIDING AND RACING MTN BIKES, I'VE NEVER COME CLOSE TO THIS LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY.

Well, that is it for now but, I'll have plenty to tell when I return. The three longest days are over with two days remaining (60km and 30km days). My butt truly hurts but, they have the TRC butt butter that does help get you on the bike the next day.

Pray for our troop, forever on my mind - ciao, VB

Day 4

Blair and Peter have many bruises, scrapes, and worst of all blisters on their feet from lots of "hike a bike". But spirits and energy are holding up. We're all still friends!!!

The country is rugged and the Kootneay River is a beautiful turquoise color, breathtaking, as well as the snow covered mountains.

The bike crowd is very international..Not many Americans. We've met people from Scotland, Germany, Austria, Costa Rica, AItaly, England, South Africa, and France.

There have been no RV hookups, water or stores where we camp, so it's very primitive. Every 2 days or so we move on to the next site and are able to "dump" our wastes, get more water, gas and ice and survive the elements.

Karen and I were able to get a shower at one of the natural Hotsprings en route . The guys shower in a mobile water truck unit provided at the campsite.

We've been eating gourmet, with efforts from both Karen and I: Salmon, chicken marsala, burgers, shrimp and past, etc. The word is the food is really bad that is provided for the racers. They are jealous of our good food!

Well, that's all for now. The guys remain in the top 10 in their age group. Their ride time was around 6 hrs. yesterday, and will be even longer today and tomorrow. Can you believe they love this stuff? You've got to to do it!

Ciao and love to all that read this and support us!

Mimi

This entry is from Karen and Mimi, the SAG wagon domestiques. Intenet access is very limited, as is our cell phone access to the U. S.
The weather is awesome, rainy and even some hail 2 days ago, but, clear, cool and blue skys today. Days are in the low 70's and we had freezing temps at night in Panorama.
We've had one moose sighting and one baby black bear sighting.
The guys had a reasonable day yesterday, getting by with some scrapes and a minor amount of bloodshed, but very grimy and dirty from head to toe at the finish line. Their time was about 3 and a half hours which put them in 6th place in their age group of about 20 + groups.
Today's stage is twice as long.
Karen and I will try to indulge in the natural hot springs today. Shower facilities are at a minimum.
I hope to leave another entry tomorrow as we found internet access the information center here in Radium HOt springs.
We will be staying in Nipika for the next 2 nights for the 2nd and 3rd stages.
Ciao!

First Day of TRC

It took 3 and a half hours to do 30 km ... definitely the ride from hell. After the initial climb on single track, there was a 3km vertical ascent. At the following ridge, the trail was off-chamber ... next was single track with 32 switchbacks, followed by a service road for 5km. Some of the single track trail was set back 1m from a cliff face which dropped off a rather dramatic plunge. Tough stuff, but gorgeous scenary. Met folks from Richmond and Harrisonburg ... riders are from all over, with probably half from international locations. Everyone is fit and in great shape. One day in the books, with more climbing ahead ...

4 DAYS UNTIL

Let's pick it up on Sunday - I started out riding with Conte's to Red Mill Commons where we met the Fat Frogs' ride. That ride gets quick, quickly, so off we sped. I'm suppose to be tapering but, it didn't work out on the way to Creeds - very fast. So, I rode easy on the way back and called it a day when Robert S. saved me by offering me a auto-ride home. I was done, which tells me I had pushed the limits and once again, I made a good decision to get in his Pilot and enjoy the conversation home.

Monday was definitely an off the bike day. My computing environment took a hit from the storm on Sunday evening. I spent most of the day waiting on Verizon, who never showed. I had an appointment for some A.R.T. with Jim Browning, to work on my neck - suffering from all that cycling - just in time - another close save.

Tuesday, I rode a couple of easy hours alone, letting everything go right by me and I'm feeling much better. Verizon did show up and replaced my modem - which they could have recommended in the first place - cheap test.

This is probably the last post for a couple of travel days. We'll be in Canada from here on out. Thank for tagging along and I hope we can entertain you on the next couple of weeks. Peter's picture arrived with too much (pixels) quality so, I had to work on it a little just to get it in the page. However, that's Peter "The Italian Climber" and he looks like Chipo when he wants to. Believe me, you don't want to get into a climbing contest with him unless you're very fit.

Comments are now allowed until someone pisses me off.

Love our troops, pray for them, they're forever on my mind. Ciao, VB

7 DAYS UNTIL

The intervals were with the team today and/or the team ride. This ride was definitely my last hard ride until the race starts. It is getting warmer but, I felt good to great and had lots of power and stamina for an old guy. I'm still working on the little bike stuff but, the day does seem to get consumed with little to show. Peter hasn't sent a picture or bio. I spoke to Karen about it and she on it for now. I'm running out of time to update the blog before we take off.

Forever on my mind, our troops in the theater, God bless them. Ciao, VB

8 DAYS UNTIL

I rode to Creeds this morning. There were a lot of dead snakes in the road meaning that it must have either gotten a little cool last night or someone was a little horny and they made their move across to greener pastures - not making it. I picked the Fat Frog ride up on my way back. Friday is said to be the family ride but, the "A team" is hidden in the crowd. I did get to push as hard as I wanted in the last few miles. I've actually been successful at cutting my ride times back as I should while maintaining the intensity. I went to see the godfather of mtn biking today, Meredith, in order to get his blessings for the race. Being a chef, he said to hurry up and get this race over so, everyone could get me fattened up again. Boy, I'm looking forward to getting fatter. I've reminded most that the Shenandoah 100 follow up the TRC - Sept. 2nd. It's always great seeing the godfather. All other stuff continues - we're exchanging a dozen calls with K & P everyday as we finish off the final travel plans.

Please continue praying for the troop and a U.S. resolution to our campaign. Ciao, VB

9 DAYS UNTIL

I've been to the gym, to the pool swimming and to the beach running over the last couple of days. I think both my body and mind appreciates the different activities. We're pulling our list together and checking it twice. The physical training should have been done by now. The logistical components come into play now - airlines, hotels, race transportation, packing, bike box fit, racing intake - liquids & food, living stuff like food, bedding, clothing. This is a vacation for us and we're looking forward to sending time with Karen and Peter out in the wilderness. Last fall, Peter and I mtn biked in OR so, this late summer, early fall in Canada we'll just be mtn biking together again.

Please remember our troops in your prayers, Ciao, VB

11 DAYS UNTIL

I rode the team's Tuesday ride hoping to get the interval intensity that I was looking for and I wasn't disappointed. Five of us went off the front. I think the others are getting tired from racing and I cannot blame them. It was a pretty hard hammer session but, nothing really over 30 mph for a max speed - windy. I'm continue to review gear, equipment and tires (etc) which is keeping me busy. So, I've got to run today - short and sweet..

Forever on my mind - our troops at war. Ciao, VB

12 DAYS UNTIL

We were lucky this weekend with the rain on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It rained all around us but, we never suffered the hazards of speeding down mountains on rain slick roads. We rode both Saturday, 65 miles and 4 hrs with approx. 5,000 ft of climbing, and on Sunday for 3 hrs with 3,000 feet of climbing. It was a little warm but the elevation does help keep it just a bit cooler. This was the last of the mtn training weekends before the race and the BRPrkwy is just beautiful and a really fun place to ride. I encourage everyone to climb Peaks of Otter just for the descent back down to the James River (from that side). You don't need to use your brakes ever and I never went over 40 mph. Today is a rest day and I did go to the gym which I like to do for the change. Tomorrow is back on the bike for a few intervals. Peter and I have been reviewing the logistics of the trip and picking up the final spare parts to take.

Keep our troops in your prayers. Ciao, VB

15 DAYS UNTIL

Another beautiful day, I rode a couple of easy hours. I still haven't decided on my riding saddle yet. I've been testing several - mostly Specialized - hard, padded, and otherwise. Also, I tried a fi'zi:k saddle which really doesn't fit as nice as Specialize but, it is padded better. I've spent so many hours in the saddle, it has presented a real issue trying to decide which one to use. The thought to keep in mind is first, I don't have big butt and second, that on my longest training week, I probably haven't ridden 75% of the time it'll take to ride the TransRockies' course. In a nutshell, that's what makes saddle choice a bit of an issue. I'll carry more than one saddle but, like the perfect baseball glove, you know when you've found it and, I would have liked to have had that feeling by now.

Off to the mountains for a couple of long days in and out of the saddle climbing - wish me luck and beautiful weather.

Please remember to pray for our troops and their families. Ciao, VB

16 DAYS UNTIL

Yesterday I rode in recovery mode for a couple of hours. The weather has been really nice and the wind has been cooperating especially, early in the morning. I took today off in hopes that I'll have more energy to put into the efforts this weekend. We're planning on a couple more long efforts on the road bikes this weekend.

I found the brake caliper adaptor I was looking for @ www.bikeman.com. Actually, Shimano put me in touch with bikeman. The techincal service at Shimano was very cooperative and went the extra mile to help me find the part & then bikeman did the same by checking with all their suppliers until they found it. No one was in a hurry, no one put me on hold, and everyone persevered.

The Tour - Rasmussen is out, as he should be for missing random drug testing, and Contador & Levi are in the spotlight. Let's wait and see what they can do on Saturday - the race of truth.

The war continues so, please keep praying for our troops and pray for a solution to our approach to combating terrorism. I don't think this conflict is going to go away when we leave the Iraqs to their own chaos. It's always on my mind. Ciao, VB

18 DAYS UNTIL

Another beautiful day, I rode out to Creeds and it took an hour to get my leg loose enough to feel comfortable. This weekend's crash has my right leg feeling tight. However, I was able to do my intervals, and this training session lasted for 2.5 hrs. Peter and I are continuing our review of gear and foods. We, the blog, are still waiting on his picture and profile. Peter has promised that it is in the mail.

Well, the Tour De France has yet another doping scandal with VINO and the Astana Team and, Rasmussen and Rabobank. May only the "clean" riders remain. Let's hope that Contador and Discovery are clean.

Pray for a soldier, every pray counts. Ciao, VB

19 DAYS UNTIL

Back to the VA Mountains – Friday, Mimi, Pat and I ran a couple of light intervals up and down (from/to) Todd Lake (8 miles around trip) on our road bikes. Now mtn biking - Saturday, I think Pat and I rode approximately 45 miles (5 hrs) on state service roads, Shenandoah 100 single track, and a little hard surface. Late in the ride, we were lost in the woods after taking only one wrong turn and that’s all it takes especially when you’re going down steep topography. On Sunday, we did a big piece of the S100, riding approximately 40 miles (4.5 hrs). Pat and I both crashed. However, Pat’s crash was probably a little worse then mine, seeing as how he turned around and went down – not normal for Pat. This was probably the last time I’ll see the S100 course for a while. I wanted to mention we camp in a very nice campground, way up on the mountain so, it's cooler at night. You can opt to primative-camp (some really good spots) and pay to shower at the campgrounds but, the water isn't very warm - over use. There always the creeks when there has been rain. It's currently pretty dry up there in the hills.

Rasmussen must be for real. The Tour route designers have done it again and it looks like the race will come down to the last TT.

Keep praying for our troops, get involved, and communicate with the troops in the war zones if possible. Ciao…VB

23 DAYS UNTIL

I didn't post yesterday. I attended a SEAL Team memorial. I rode early yesterday but, I had a flat after running through glass on the road. After fixing it, the tire once again went flat, meaning that there is glass hiding in there. It was time for a new tire anyways. A very nice stranger saw me and offered to transport me and the bike home in his new Honda pickup truck. I gladly accepted his offer.

I rode this morning missing my usual Thursday morning group. I'm not sure what happened but, I caught the Thursday "team train" ride and as usual, it hurts. I'm continuing to look for that brake caliper adaptor with little luck (SM-MA-F180S/S). Eric and I put together the spare parts yesterday, i.e., chain, cables, fluids. Also, we ordered another set of brake pads, and a tire. I'll carry a couple of tires for spares.

Please keep our troops in your prayers, Ciao

25 DAYS UNTIL

As usual, I'm having problems finding an brake-shock adaptor part for the caliber, to accommodate the new brake-disk(180mm) - all Shimano XTR. But, that's another story for another time. I rode my sweetie Trek Fuel today on the road just continuing to fine tune my riding position. I think it helps to take my feel for fit from my road bike (power) and copy it over to the mtn bike. Obviously, once in the woods things change a bit (drop seat height) but, I like to take it on the road for feel and speed.

I rode 2.25 hrs and the weather continues to get hotter. We've started planning for the weekend mtn biking which should be tough.

Please keep our troops in your prayer, Ciao

26 DAYS UNTIL

I rode the Blue Ridge Parkway both Saturday and Sunday (70mi. + 50mi. = 10,000ft of climbing). The weather was really nice both days with Sunday getting hot when I stopped. Luckily, I started earlier than last week. The climbing on the BRP can be and usually is long but not always granny-gear steep. The Peaks of Otter (Thunder Ridge) is the steepest climbing I've done on the BRP but, they had a fire up there this weekend and it stopped traffic for a little while. Well, today is a rest day, and my legs feel like they need to do something different. The bikes always need my attention so, I'll probably work on cleaning bikes, going in and out of the shop with the VB_mtn_bike.

I did ride with a Canadian on the BRP, for a little while, who was touring with 50 lbs on his bike. He was a school teacher who travels to the BRP every summer to ride a section - good idea. It is fun meeting cyclist out there - the previous week I rode with a guy from Sweden with 75 lbs on the bike and his back - big guy.

Pray for out military in harms way, please - Ciao - Rasmussen lead the Tour de France and has shown the world who is the best climber. I guess we'll see what he has in the long TTs but, he should stay in yellow for a few days...

29 DAYS UNTIL

My training partner and I rode to Creeds and back this morning, early. We did intervals on the way back and I couldn't drop that wheel sucker. I must be getting weaker instead of stronger, that's not good news. I'm growing concerned about the seasonal weather in Canada during the mid-August race. I continue to review my inventory of fall gear and rain gear. The TRC DVD shows plenty of people in jackets from beginning to end of some stages (???). I'm assuming we will see every kind of weather.

Keep praying for our troops, please! Ciao

30 DAYS UNTIL

I rode the sweetie TREK FUEL MtnBike today. Picked it up from the shop yesterday, where I have access to the greatest of support known to cycling. We are bleeding brakes, greasing headsets, adjusting and checking brake levers, and pads. Also, we're now waiting on the correct adaptor (having received the wrong one) for increasing the size of the brake rotors - a little more stopping power, which I'll probably NOT need. The weather this morning was unbelievably nice and I saw Harlan W. out for a spin on the way back.

31 DAY UNTIL THE RACE STARTS

This is the initial post to our TransRockies adventure. The race, TRC, will start on Sunday, August 12th. We hope to post updates eveyday either after the race or the following morning once the TRC begins. Obviously, we're not sure what type of web access we'll have so, please keep your fingers crossed.

Peter is on the west coast training and I'm on the east coast training. So, in some post you'll get Peter's input, and in other post you'll get my input and possibly our support's post. This past weekend I spent a couple of days climbing Peaks of Otter (Thunder Ridge), over and back on Saturday, and on Sunday I went in the other direction to R56. The weather is now hot if you stay out 4 or 5 hours so, on the Blue Ridge Parkway, leaving H2O in strategic locations is important. My training partner has been a very big help with dropping me off and leaving liquids along the way. Presently this week, Monday through Friday is a "rest week" and I'm doing my very best to behave and not ride very long or hard. However, on the upcoming weekends, I can be found in the mountains, either on the road or on the trails.

Please say a prayer for our troops, it truly helps... Ciao

http://www.transrockies.com